News

Downsizing

—Michael C. Sirak9/16/2009

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Downsizing: The Air Force's lead organization for nuclear-capable bombers, 8th Air Force at Barksdale AFB, La., will officially shed its non-bomber wings on Oct. 1 as part of its transition to Air Force Global Strike Command by next February, Maj. Gen. Floyd Carpenter, commander of 8th Air Force at Barksdale AFB, La., said Tuesday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference. The units that "the Mighty Eighth" will lose include the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif., which flies the U-2; the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Neb., operator of RC-135 Rivet Joints; the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., the E-8C Joint STARS unit; and the 552nd ACW at Tinker AFB, Okla., an E-3 AWACS organization. Carpenter said the reconnaissance assets will move under 12th Air Force, while the remaining wings exiting 8th AF will henceforth be under 9th AF. The three wings remaining under 8th AF are: Barksdale's 2nd Bomb Wing, a B-52H unit; the 5th BW, another B-52H organization, based at Minot AFB, N.D., and the 509th BW, USAF's sole operator of B-2 stealth bombers, at Whiteman AFB, Mo.